Pavement traffic signal



Aug. 26, 1941. F. w. KLINE PAVEMENT TRAFFIC SIGNAL J 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Sept. 25, 1958 Cittorneg- Aug. 26, 1941. R w 2,253,790

PAVEMENT TRAFFIC SIGNAL Filed Sept. 23, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 2o 15 1e15 i j 5 :Ifif' l illustrated Patented Aug. 26, 1941 PAVEMENT TRAFFICSIGNAL Frank W. Kline, Detroit, Mich., assignor of onehalf to HackettBrass Foundry Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of MichiganApplication September 23, 1938, Serial No. 231,318

8 Claims.

Thisinvention relates to street traffic signals and particularly signalsadapted to be partially embedded in the pavement of a street.

An object of the invention is to provide a signal casing having -a baseadapted to be set into a street pavement, .fiush with the surface, andhaving a dome portion adapted to project a slight distance above thepavement and formed with openings shaped to form the letters of awarning word, said dome carrying thick translucent cover members forsuch openings.

Another object is to provide means within said casing for illuminingsaid openings.

A further object is to provide in a novel manner for producingillumination of thewindows in a desired color.

A further object is to detachably secure the domed top of the casing tothe base thereof, so that access may be readily had to the casing forlight bulb replacement or other purposes.

These and various other objects are attained by the constructionhereinafter described and in the accompanying drawings,

wherein: g Fig. l is a top plan view of the improved signal.

Fig. 2 is a front view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a' vertical sectional View taken on the line 33 of Fig. l. v r

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section, taken on the line 4--4 of Fig.1, showing one of the letter-forming openings of the signal dome.

Fig. 5 is a view similar'to Fig. 4 but disclosing a modifiedconstruction.

Fig, 6 is a fragmentary vertical section showing one of the fastenerswhereby the cover of the signal casing is secured to the base thereof.

In these views, the reference character 1 designates the hollow base ofthe metallic casing of the signal, said base being rectangular and openat top and bottom, and being set into a street pavement, flush with thesurface thereof. Preferably said base is exteriorly formed with aplurality of projecting lugs 2, or other projections suited to securelyanchor it in the pavement. The casing further comprises a rectangularcover member 3, set into the base flush with the top edge thereof andseated on a ledge 4, formed integral with the base and extendinginteriorly upon and continuously around the wall thereof. The covermember is secured to the base by a plurality of tap bolts 5 passingfreely through suitable apertures in the corner portions of the coverand threaded into enlargements 6 of said ledge, formed at the corners ofthe base. Prefness, at its corner portions, to adapt the heads of thebolts to be countersunk in said portions, so that they will not besubjected to undue wear Themajor and central portion of the'cover memberforms an elliptical dome l, projecting preferably several inches abovethe flat corner portions and margin of the cover, such dome beingsufficiently shallow that the wheels of vehicles may ride over itreadily. Upwardly extending from the base of the dome and elongated inthe general direction of its length, is a panel formed by a row ofadjoining plane faces 8, inclined at approximately 35 degrees tothe'vertical, and recessed below the outer face of the dome so as toform a shoulder 9 bordering said panel; Each of said faces has a slightdivergency tothe next adjoining face, whereby they areconformed'angularly to the dome curva ture. 'Between the adjoined faces8, the dome is formed with ribs l0 extending from top to bottom of thepanel and substantially flush with theouter faceof the dome. Oppositeeach rib [0 the dome is interiorly formed with a relatively largeinterior reinforcing rib ,l l, and preferably the ribs ll extend somedistance beyond the panel toward the center portion of the dome. Eachplane face 8 is-broken by an opening or openings l2 extending throughthe dome wall and shaped to form a desired letter, the several lettersso formed coacting to form a desired word or symbol for the instructionof traffic, as for example the illustrated word Stop. Covering each ofsuch letters is a plate [3 of glass or other hard translucent material,such plates being seated against the faces 8 of the dome and withinerably the cover is somewhat increased in thickthe recesses coextensivewith such faces. Each plate I3 is held in place by bolts l4 freelytraversing its corner portions and threaded into the dome, the heads ofsuch bolts being countersunk in and flush with the outer faces of theplates. The bolts I4 are further utilized to interiorly attach to thedome a set of relatively thin plates l5 of colored glass or otherdurable translucent material, extending across the openings l2, suchglass being preferably red so that light outwardly projected throughsaid openings will produce a more effective warning.

In the central portion of the casing, is disposed a means forilluminating the openings l2, such means being preferably an electricbulb l6 mounted in a socket l1, terminally carried by a threaded conduit18 passing through a wall of the base and clamped therein by nuts l9.

In order that the bulb may serve with a maximum efficiency to illuminatethe letter-forming openings, it is preferred to dispose the bulb withina polished metallic reflector hood 20 rigidly carried by the conduit l8rearwardly of the socket l1 and extending substantially to the marginsof the panel to be illuminated.

The described signal secures the advantage that it may be set directlyin a traiiic lane, where it is most readily perceived by a driver, andcannot be obscured by another lane of trafiic, as is true of a curbsignal. Furthermore, if encountered by a wheel of a vehicle, theresulting jar conveys a warning, even if the signal was' not observed.

As a modification eliminating necessity for a light bulb or other lightsource within the dome, a polished reflector plate 2| of metal, or someother plate providing a reflecting surface may be secured within thedome against each plate 15, preferably by the same bolts I ia that holdthe plates l3 and IS in place. Thus the rays from the head lights of avehicle approaching the signal will illuminate the reflector plates tothe extent that same are exposed through the letterforming openings, andthe driver will'be warned as in the first-described construction.

The invention is presented as including all such modifications andchanges as come within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a pavement signal, a casing'comprising a base adapted to beembedded in a pavement and a hollow dome adapted to project above thepavement, such dome having a recess in its exterior face adjacent tosaid base, and having a symbolforming aperture opening from said recessto the dome interior, a translucent cover for said aperture fitted insaid recess substantially flush with the exterior face of the dome, anda member within the dome having a reflecting surface registered withsaid aperture.

2. In a pavement signal as set forth in claim 3, a common means forsecuring said translucent cover and reflector to the dome.

3. In a pavement signal, a casing comprising a base adapted to beembedded in a pavement and a hollow dome adapted to project above thepavement, such dome having a recess in its exterior face adjacent tosaid base, and having a symbol-forming aperture opening from said'recess to the dome interior, a translucent cover for said aperturefitted in said recess substantially flush with the exterior face of thedome, a colored translucent member covering said aperture .interiorly ofthe dome, a member adjacent to the last-mentioned translucent memberforreflecting light outwardly through the same and through saidaperture, and a common means for securin said translucent members andreflecting member to the dome.

4. In a pavement signal, a casing comprising a base adapted to beembedded in a pavement and a hollow dome adapted to project above thepavement, such dome having a recess in its exterior face adjacent tosaid base, and having a symbolforming aperture opening from said recessto the dome interior, a translucent cover for said aperture fitted insaid recess, and means within the casing for illuminating said aperture,a colored translucent member covering said aperture interiorly of thedome, and a common means for securing the two translucent covers to thedome.

5. A pavement signal comprising a hollow dome laterally formed with anaperture extending through the dome wall, means for securing such dometo a pavement in an upwardly projecting relation thereto, a translucentvcover for said aperture, set into the dome wall from its exterior, acolored translucent member covering said aper ture interiorly of thedome, and a common means for securing the two translucent covers to thedome.

6. A pavement signal comprising a hollow base adapted to be embedded ina pavement and. a hollow dome detachably mounted on the base and adaptedto project above the pavement, such dome having a laterally facingrecess in its exterior face and an aperture opening from such recess tothe dome interior, a translucent cover for said aperture fitted in saidrecess, a support laterally carried by the base and projectinginteriorly of the base toward said aperture, a light source carried bysuch support for illuminating the aperture, and a reflector hood mountedon said support and directing light from said source toward saidaperture.

'7. Apavement signal comprising a hollow dome formed with a laterallyfacing and horizontally elongated panel, exteriorly recessed in the domeand forming a row of sloping plane faces, forming with each other obtuseangles and each having a letter-forming aperture opening through thedome wall, the several apertures having a word-forming relation, ribsformedat the intersections of said plane faces on both the inner andouter faces of the dome, and translucent cover members for saidapertures set intosaid recessed panel and engaging said plane faces andfitted between the exterior ribs,

8. A pavement signal as set forth in claim 6, said hood extending towardthe apertured portion of the dome, at an upward inclination and havingportions above, below, and-at opposite sides of the light source.

- FRANK W. KLINE.

